Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles
- When Leaders Disappoint You. Courtney Reissig writes “The world has its share of bad shepherds. But Jesus reminds us that he’s not one of them.”
- A Short Prayer for Before Starting Work. Kevin Halloran gives us this short morning prayer to pray before starting work to better honor God in your productivity, grow in your love for Him and your co-workers, to be a blessing at your workplace, for divine guidance and favor.
- 6 Lessons for Tending Your Time. Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra writes “With both our gardens and our days, we should aim for nourishing and flourishing, for cultivating healthy productivity. What can us schedulers learn from farmers and gardeners?”
- When Should I Give Raises to My Employees? Courtney Powell responds to the question “I’ve recently been promoted inside my mid-sized organization, which means I now have a say in how much we pay our employees. How can I think biblically about wages and raises?”
- Purpose. On this episode of “Minute with Maxwell”, John Maxwell tells us to discover our purpose, find what we are passionate about and what we are good at.
- Living At Your Best with Carey Nieuwhof. On this episode of the Faith Driven Entrepreneur podcast, Carey Nieuwhof talks about themes from his new book At Your Best.
Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
- More links to interesting articles
- The Top 10 Faith and Work Quotes of the Week
- My Review of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer
- Snippets from the book Discipled Leader: Inspiration from a Fortune 500 Executive for Transforming Your Workplace by Pursuing Christ by Preston Poore
- What Do Paul’s Letters to the Thessalonians Teach us About Work? Russ Gehrlein shares some excerpts from his book, Immanuel Labor – God’s Presence in our Profession that highlight what the Apostle Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians teach the church about various aspects of work.
- Win the Heart. In this short video, Mark Miller gives an overview of the 3rd move all High Performance Organizations make, “Win The Heart”.
- Called to Lead. My book Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the Workplace is available in both a paperback and Kindle edition. Read a free sample (Introduction through Chapter 2).
- Daniel Doriani on Common Good Podcast. On this episode of the Common Good podcast, Daniel Doriani, Founder of the Center for Faith and Work, St. Louis, joins the hosts to talk about his new book Work That Makes a Difference.
- Virtual Vocation. Gene Veith writes “So, is being an influencer a vocation, a calling from God? I would say, not really but sort of. It is not a real vocation, but it is a virtual vocation.”
- Work is Very Good. Howard Graham writes “How do you view your work? Do you see work as good, a broken mess, or an opportunity to make things better? If you are thinking “all three” you are practically and theologically correct.”
- Faithfulness in the Workplace. Joshua Nangle writes “We are in the middle of a series on the application of the fruit of the Spirit in the workplace, and this installment focuses on faithfulness in the workplace.”
- Work is Broken. Howard Graham writes “In this three-part series, we saw that Work Is Very Good (Part 1), in this article we see how Work Is Broken, (Part 2), and finally how we can join God in making all things new through Work Is Redemptive (Part 3).”
- All labor is honorable. No one ever needs to be ashamed of an honest calling. Whether a potter or a gardener, or whatever else one’s occupation may be, the workman need never blush at the craft or toil by which he earns his honest wage. Charles Spurgeon
- My main purpose is to greatly encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ who work in ordinary jobs. I want them to understand and believe their work is significant and that it contributes to God’s work in the world. I want them to think biblically about work. That is my passion. Russ Gehrlein
- One of the most powerful ways to show people the truth of Christianity is to serve the common good. Tim Keller
- The noblest thing we can do is to serve the Lord faithfully in the place God assigns us. Dan Doriani
- We are most happy when we are doing and being what God created us to do and to be. Stephen Nichols
- The best way to rest from work is to be so fully satisfied with your work that you can walk away for a time and leave it alone. I found that only when I rest in Jesus’ finished work for me can I really rest from my earthly work even for a moment. Tim Keller
- Retirement in America means, “Don’t bother me. I’ve no time for others.” I suggest an alternative. Just think of the ministry of encouragement God could give you when He releases you (through retirement) from the work-a-day world and uses you as a servant. Charles Swindoll
- We are here to glorify Christ in our daily life. We are here as workers for Him, and as workers together with Him. Let us see that our life fulfills this purpose. Charles Spurgeon
- The pressure is off for all of us to make a name for ourselves. Jesus has made a name for us already. Tim Keller
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer. WaterBrook. 305 pages. 2019
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This book is about the changes that the author, a Portland megachurch pastor, made after burning out at age 33. He wants us think of the book as meeting for coffee and him sharing everything he’s learned over the last few years from that experience. He writes about being an apprentice of Jesus, and states that if you want to experience the life of Jesus, you have to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus. We should take on his habits and practices. The author’s agenda for our time together is simple: to pass on some of the best things he’s learned from sitting at the feet of the master.
The author tells us that an over busy, hurried life of speed is the new normal in the Western world, and it’s toxic. A key quote, and where the title of the book comes from, is from Dallas Willard, who stated: “There is nothing else. Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”
The author tells us that Jesus’ schedule was full, and yet he never came off hurried. The central question of our apprenticeship to Jesus is pretty straightforward: How would Jesus live if he were me?
The author shares four practices for unhurrying your life:
- Silence and Solitude
- Sabbath
- Simplicity
- Slowing
Among the topics covered in the book were distraction, limitations, choices, minimalism, multitasking, abiding and intentionality.
In our culture, busyness has become something that people are proud of. Ask someone how they are doing, and they will often say “Busy, really busy”. For that reason, this is an important book.
Below are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
- Both sin and busyness have the exact same effect—they cut off your connection to God, to other people, and even to your own soul.
- Hurry and love are incompatible.
- What you give your attention to is the person you become.
- What you fill your mind with will shape the trajectory of your character.
- All too often our hurry is a sign of something else. Something deeper.
- Sabbath is more than just a day; it’s a way of being in the world. It’s a spirit of restfulness that comes from abiding, from living in the Father’s loving presence all week long.
- Minimalism isn’t about living with nothing; it’s about living with less.
- The goal here is to live with a high degree of intentionality around what matters most, which, for those of us who apprentice under Jesus, is Jesus himself and his kingdom.
Faith and Work Book Club – Won’t you read along with us?
Discipled Leader provides struggling, stuck, or merely surviving Christian business leaders with a framework to grow their influence through becoming a redemptive (i.e., change for the better), Christlike presence in the workplace and living a more fulfilling life.
This week we look at Chapter Six: Flee: As a disciple, resist the devil and he will flee.
- God uses all things—even hardships and temptations—for the good of those who love him (Rom. 8:28). Over the course of your lifetime, God molds you into Christ’s likeness.
- The biblical stories of King David and Joseph provide stellar examples. One shows what not to do when faced with temptation while the other shows what to do.
- As a Christian leader, you must surround yourself with other believers who will regularly ask you tough questions about your life.
- Since temptation is a frequent challenge for discipled leaders—as for all Christians—it is critical that we know how to handle temptations successfully.
- Leaders should expect to be criticized. Not all criticism is valid, but most criticism contains a grain of truth.
- As a leader, you know that it only takes a moment to do great harm. Take seriously this fact.